Editor’s introduction
The 2026 World Humanist Congress in Ottawa, Canada, adopted Humanism as Resistance as its organising theme. Humanists have a proud history of resisting oppression, violations of human rights, religious supremacy, discrimination and the dehumanisation of others. But can our determination to resist sometimes undermine the very qualities that humanism seeks to defend: critical enquiry, intellectual independence and openness to different perspectives? This special issue of Humanistically Speaking explores that tension through contributions from the Congress and humanists around the world.
We report on two outstanding addresses from the Congress: philosopher A. C. Grayling's compelling case for rational hope, and Rebecca Newberger Goldstein's reflections on human progress and the struggle against entropy. German philosopher and professor of humanism Ralf Schöppner offers a complementary perspective, arguing that resistance must be balanced by openness, dialogue and a willingness to distinguish between different viewpoints. He cites Israel-Palestine as one conflict in which humanism cannot take only one side, a challenge I take up in my article on this deeply polarising issue.
We also report on a lively Congress presentation by Nick Fish of American Atheists and Fish Stark of the American Humanist Association, who made the case for resisting Christian nationalism in the United States. But we also ask whether what is being described as Christian nationalism in Britain is really the same phenomenon or something very different.
Humanist Canada hosted the Congress and so I’m delighted that Janalee Morris, Executive Director of Humanist Canada, has written for us about what resistance means in Canada, while Leo Igwe explains what resistance to witchcraft and bizarre ‘genital theft’ accusations mean in Africa.
Humanism isn’t just about resistance and advocacy, however. Even Gran, Senior Adviser for Politics and International Affairs at the Norwegian Humanist Association, explains how the European Humanist Services Network is helping to build a more mature international movement.
Anthony Lewis draws on his experiences in Northern Ireland to warn of the dangers of sectarianism in contemporary Britain, while Maggie Hall examines our humanist responsibility to resist falsehoods, misconceptions, and the temptation to believe what suits us. This issue also features inspiring contributions from Prague, Melbourne, Oregon, Arizona, Phnom Penh and Uganda, giving us a truly international flavour.
We hope this issue will challenge, inform and inspire. Please share articles that you enjoy. They may be republished with attribution under our Creative Commons licence.
Thank you, as ever, for your encouragement and support. If you’d like to contribute an article or news report to our next issue, to be published on 1 February 2027, do let me know.
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